Archived: Broadwaters

At the time of the inspection there were 27 people staying at Broadwaters.

The home provides a rehabilitation service for people over 65, respite care and interim care. Interim care is for people discharged from hospital for additional care until they were ready to return home.

Three people had been admitted for respite care, nine people for interim care and the remainder for a period of assessment or rehabilitation. We spoke with six people about their experience of living at the home and with five members of staff.

We considered all the evidence we had gathered under the outcomes we inspected. We used the information to answer the five questions we always ask;

' Is the service caring?

' Is the service responsive?

' Is the service safe?

' Is the service effective?

' Is the service well led?

This is a summary of what we found :-

Is the service safe?

People we spoke with during the inspection had no concerns or complaints about the care and support they received.

The home had systems in place for monitoring the quality of service provided to make sure that the home was run safely. Accidents and incidents were audited so that remedial action could be taken to prevent further occurrences. People who lived at the home we spoke with were happy with the service that they had received. All the staff had received training in the safeguarding of vulnerable adults.

Risk assessments in relation to how people's care was delivered had been carried out to make sure that staff could support people safely.

Where people had been identified as requiring specialist equipment, this had been provided.

The service followed safe staff recruitment practices.

All staff working at the home had been trained in adult protection.

CQC monitors the operation of the Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards which apply to care homes. No applications had been submitted, however the provider had a policy and relevant staff understood how an application should be made.

Is the service effective?

People's care and support achieved good outcomes. People we spoke with were very positive about the way they were looked after and reported no concerns. One person told us, 'The standards have been so high; it is impossible to believe.'

Results from returned satisfaction surveys from people who had stayed at Broadwaters included many positive comments about the way people had been cared for.

People living at the home were involved in the choice about who provided their personal care.

People able to give consent received the care and support they agreed to. There were effective systems in place to make sure that 'best interest' decisions, made on behalf of people who could not give valid consent, complied with the Mental Capacity Act 2005.

People's dietary needs were being met and appropriate action taken if people lost weight.

One member of staff, who had had a long career in care, told us that Broadwaters had provided the best staff support of their career.

Is the service caring?

We received many positive comments from people we spoke with about the positive care they had received such as: 'Lovely care', 'The girls work really hard', 'Can't find a thing wrong, the lasses are wonderful.'

The returned satisfaction surveys we saw included many comments thanking staff for the care and support they had received.

Is the service responsive?

Services provided to people were organised so that they met people's needs. People had care plans in place that had been signed by the person concerned or their representative so that staff knew how to be responsive to people's care and support needs.

People had care plans in place that had been developed with the involvement of people.

We saw examples of where people had been referred appropriately for health conditions.

Is the service well-led?

The registered manager has been in post for many years and had years of experience in running a home.

Broadwaters provides a complex service where people are only admitted for short periods of time. There was an effective care planning system in place that made sure staff knew the needs of people being admitted. Care plans also identified the roles and objectives for members of staff providing care and support for people

There were well developed systems for monitoring the quality of service provided to people.

Broadwaters offers short term admissions for respite or rehabilitation. The home has a team of staff from health and social care backgrounds. In addition the home is supported by dedicated social care practitioners and nurses.

Before people received any care or treatment they were asked for their consent and the provider acted in accordance with their wishes. However, we found that where people lacked capacity to make a specific decision related to the care or support they required, Broadwaters did not have best interest decisions recorded in accordance with the Mental Capacity Act guidelines.

People's needs were assessed and care and treatment was planned and delivered in line with their individual care plans. People we spoke with were positive about their experience of staying at the home for respite or rehabilitation. Comments included: 'You are not all treated the same, I wouldn't want to go anywhere else', 'Staff are very nice, caring and friendly', 'It's in between hospital and home' and, 'I would give them a gold medal'.

One staff member said, 'Broadwaters goes out on a limb for people, we do everything we can'.

People who use the service, their representatives and staff were asked for their views about their care and treatment and they were acted on.

There was an effective complaints system available.

We saw staff interacting with people and saw that they treated them with respect. People told us the staff were kind and caring and they always knocked on their doors before entering. In addition they gave them time in an unhurried manner. This demonstrated that the provider had ensured that people were treated in such ways as to protect their dignity.

Staff received ongoing training and supervision which provided them with the skills and knowledge to meet the needs of the people they were supporting. The formal training programme was supplemented during staff meetings, seminars, discussions and during one to one coaching from specialists.

People using the service were protected from abuse as they were supported by a staff team who had appropriate knowledge and training on safeguarding adults. People told us if they had any concerns they would report them to the manager.

The Provider had effective systems in place to monitor and assess the quality of the service.